Ascension
by VermillionKitsune
Summary: One-Shot. After a spell conjured by Zatanna hits little 8 year old Richard, the league and Bruce see different sides of him they never would've guess could exist. Set inbetween the JL and JL:U cartoons but with Robin. Also takes in aspects from YJ. Time jump fic!


**I'm pretty sure I stated this in one of the author's notes in one of my fics but, I absolutely love time travel/alternate dimension fics where the characters go between them. I have a lot of fics like that on my laptop and this is just one of many.**

 **So a couple things about this fic. It is based off the Justice League cartoon just with Robin added in it, but right before JL Unlimited. So they started expanding the league's roster, but it's not up to as many heroes as there are in JLU. So like the bare minimum. Another thing, Flash is Barry. I didn't want Wally to be the Flash because in this, Robin just started his sidekick career and didn't want Wally in it if he wasn't going to be Kid Flash.**

 **Here is the timeline chronology:**

 **-8yo Robin -2001**

 **-13yo Robin -2006**

 **-18yo Nightwing -2011**

 **-25yo Batman (when Bruce died and Damian became Robin) -2018**

 **-27yo Agent 37 of Spyral -2020**

* * *

 _Ascension_

 _The act of rising to an important position or a higher level_

* * *

The day had started out good. The league was at the Watch Tower and Batman had brought Robin because Alfred had injured himself and could not hope to reign in the eight year old's hyper personality. The seven founders were conversing in the meeting room about the induction of a possible new member; Zatanna Zatara. A magician of the real mystic arts who enacts spells by reciting them backwards. Robin busied himself by climbing up onto the rafters and snuggling himself behind one of the more complex constructs in the corner. As time carried on, the founders agreed that Zatanna would make a great addition to the ever growing league expansion and called her in to inform her. What Zatanna didn't know was that Robin was there. Having been fairly new to the hero business as well as being the first sidekick and child hero, he wasn't well known amongst the the other heroes, let alone the general public. So suffice it to say that when Zatanna entered the meeting room and heard a snickering laughter coming from the ceiling, her instincts overcame her and she lashed out at the source before the justice league founders could interject.

"Wohs em ruoy eurt fles!" **(Show me your true self)** she chanted as she aimed the spell towards the shadow on the rafter.

"Zatanna no!" Batman yelled, which startled the magician, but it was too late. The spell was cast and Robin's form fell limply from his spot on the beam and into Flash's arms. The speedster carried the unconscious child back to his mentor who was currently glaring at Zatanna. To say she was scared would be quite the understatement. Zatanna was petrified. Batman's glare seemed to bore into her very soul; and that terrified her. Batman took Robin from Flash's gentle hold and turned back the magician.

"I-I'm so sorry! I thought...I didn't...I'm sorry!" She stuttered. She could barely form sentences as the rest of the league now glared at her as well. "I thought it was an intruder, I just wanted them to come out of the shadows-"

"Enough." Batman stated curtly. He pulled Robin closer to his chest and spared a glance at his young bird. Superman came up behind him and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Zatanna. The Watch Tower is a very secure compound. Before acting out, you should have informed us if you thought there was a danger. Because of your impulsive actions, Robin has been incapacitated." Superman scolded her as if she were a child.

"Yes, I'm sorry." She looked down and twiddled her gloved fingers.

"Just. Fix. This." Batman said. The edge in his voice never having left. Zatanna nodded and followed Batman to the Medbay where the latter laid his protégé on the linen covered bed. The rest of the founders followed suit. Zatanna wove her hands over the Robin's body and closed her eyes, trying to sense the remnant of the spell that knocked the boy unconscious. When she felt nothing, she opened her eyes and turned sheepishly to the others.

"I cannot undo what has been done. I sense nothing left of the sell I cast and until it has finished running its course, there is nothing we can do." she looked expectantly at Superman when Batman started to growl at her. The man of steel stepped forward and put a hand on Batman's chest to keep him back while his other was outstretched before Zatanna, in a calming manner.

"Alright, let's all just take a moment and calm down. Was the spell dangerous?" Superman asked Zatanna. She shook her head.

"No, I just said to have them show their true self. I'm so sorry!" She bowed her head down in a apologetic manner. After a good minute of silence, Batman sighed and began to pull down his cowl. Zatanna gasped at the face before her.

"I guess this would be the time to introduce ourselves. My name is Bruce Wayne, and this," he gestured to Robin's sleeping form and took off his mask, "is my son, Richard Grayson-Wayne." The other heroes were surprised that the Dark Knight willingly told the new recruit his secret ID, but shrugged nonetheless and began to introduce themselves as well. While Zatanna listened to the leaguers state their names, she thought back to what Batman- no, what Bruce had said. The boy, Richard. His surname was hyphenated. And he didn't quite look like the brooding vigilante.

"If I may ask a question, Bruce?" she asked, turning to Bruce's direction. "Your son, Richard? Does he carry his mother's and your last name? He doesn't " Bruce didn't say anything at first, then he sighed.

"Richard isn't my biological son. He became my ward after his birth parents were tragically killed, and soon after, I adopted him. He is Romani." he replied and Zatanna couldn't help but feel for the boy who had lost his parents at such a young age.

"So do we know exactly what the spell will do to him?" Flash, who Zatanna now knew to call Barry Allen, asked. Zatanna shrugged.

"I don't know. I do know that it is harmless though." Ash she finished speaking, Richard's body began to emanate a bright glow and soon his form was enveloped in the white light.

"I guess we're about to find out" John said, earning a glare from Bruce, and a elbow to the side from Shayera.

When the light faded, the body that was on the bed was significantly larger in build and height wearing something akin to his Robin's uniform and Bruce almost began to panic thinking that his little bird had been transported somewhere. He snapped out of his thoughts when the boy, as he now distinguished it as, groaned and opened his eyes. At a speed that would put Barry to shame, the boy, who couldn't be older than 14, flipped off the bed and got into a defensive stance. The boy stared at them in confusion, then reached a hand up to his face, as if to confirm the placement of a mask. To the boy's dismay, there was none and he clicked his tongue. All at once, Bruce was hit with sudden realization. Those deep blue eyes, those definitive features, there was no doubt. This was Richard, this was his son.

"Dick?" Bruce asked hesitantly, and the others looked on in fascinated confusion as they began to see the similarities between the two. The boy, who had released his stance, nodded. He looked down to his feet, seeming to be in deep thought until he raised his face and opened his mouth to speak.

"Bruce?...What," he paused and Bruce nodded for him to continue, "what year is it?" he asked and Bruce was lost for words. He expected that this would be an alternate version of his son, not a future one. Nevertheless, he answered his older bird.

"It's 2001 Dick. Do you know what happened?" Dick scrunched his nose and shook his head. Bruce explained that Zatanna had cast a spell that had brought him, a future version of his time's eight year old Robin, to their present. During this, Dick had sat back down on the bed and begun to swing his legs in boredom.

"So, do you all know when I'll be able to go back?" the slightly older Robin asked. Bruce sighed and looked towards Zatanna.

"I'm sorry, the spell that was used was for you to show your true self, and I do not know when it will finish. I guess the spell will continue to show your future variations until it has been completed." she said.

"Well kiddo," Barry started, trying to make small talk through the insufferable silence, "what year are you from?"

"2006." he stated impishly. Barry whistled.

"So that makes you 13?" the speedster confirmed. Bruce smiled inwardly. So this is what his son looked like at 13. He hoped his future self was as proud as he felt now about his son. Dick grew a wide grin and laughed softly

"Man KF would totally be traught over this" then he quickly covered his mouth with his gloved hand as he realized what he had inadvertently revealed. Bruce was puzzled. _Traught_? Where in the world did his son pick such an odd term.

"What in the world is _traught_?" Shayera questioned. Dick's grin grew even wider, if that was at all possible.

"Well you know how distraught is bad and means agitated? Well then _traught_ would be the opposite. Just like Disaster would be bad, and _Aster_ would be good." Bruce mentally slapped himself. His Richard was still having trouble adjusting to the english language and it seems his future self had created new terms over the years.

"Who or what would this _KF_ be?" J'onn asked, floating up to the boy. Dick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"That was an accident, I didn't mean to mention him. I assume I'm not supposed to talk about future events or other things like that but it just slipped out."

"Since you're under a spell, it should be alright. After every spell I cast, the effects are reversed so we would not retain our memories of what will transpire tonight." Zatanna answered. Dick nodded, then looked towards Barry.

"KF is an acronym for Kid Flash," that grabbed everyone's attention, "my best friend, Wally West. Wally is your nephew Barry, and he's the second child hero after me." he smiled brightly. Barry and the others stood stock still. Even Bruce hadn't known of Wally's existence.

"I...I have a nephew?" Barry spewed out. Dick nodded and continued to explain.

"Your wife Iris, is Wally's father's sister. He grew up loving the Flash and when he found out that you, his uncle that he looked up to, was in fact his favorite superhero, he attempted to recreate the experiment that gave you your powers." Barry's eyes grew wide at the last comment. Knowing he had a nephew was one thing, but finding out that he intentionally put himself in harm's way just to be like him didn't sit well in Barry's stomach.

"Was he- was Wally hurt? Is he alright?" Dick relaxed his features into a gentle smile.

"He was in a coma for four months, but he woke up with super speed and then you made him your partner in catching villains." Barry sighed in relief. Bruce got curious and asked a question that had been on his mind for a while.

Dick thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly how many child partner/mentoring pairs there are but a couple of us have started a team in Jump City!" he said with a smile. "There's Kid Flash, Wonder Girl," he paused when shock flickered across Diana's face. "Your sister, Donna." he added. "Then there's Garfield; Beast Boy from the Doom Patrol, and Victor; Cyborg. Long story. There's also Starfire; and alien princess from Tameran. Another long story. Then Roy; Speedy who's Green Arrow's sidekick, and Garth; Aqualad." he finished. He was about to continue with his little lecture when he started to glow and he looked up to Bruce who locked eyes with him, and mentally assured him it was okay.

"I'm proud of you Richard." Bruce said as the light expanded then ultimately faded revealing a taller figure clad in a blue and black suit. He looked confused and then spotted Bruce and the others. He immediately got to his feet and scowled at his mentor.

"I told you Bruce. I'm not going back. You already have Jason so why don't you leave me alone and let me do my job with the Titans." he spat out angrily. Needless to say that Superman and the other founders were stunned, but not as shocked as Bruce. He had been yelled at by Richard before, but never like this. Never with such anger and hate.

"Dick, wai-" Dick cut him off.

"No. You lost the right to call me that, when you fired me from being Robin and gave the title to Jason. Now what did you do? I have things back at Titan's Tower to attend to." he said.

"Di- Richard. Listen. You're in the past, your younger self was hit with a spell and your future variations keep popping up." the blue and black clad hero relaxed his earlier tension and crossed his arms. "What year are you from?"

"2011. How long will I be stuck here?" he asked.

"We don't know." Clark said. "Zatanna's spell has a mind of it's own." Dick nodded.

"So what's with the getup?" Barry asked. Dick threw a glare in Bruce's direction and the older man felt unnerved by being at the receiving end of a matured batglare from his son.

"Bruce fired me from being Robin when I was 16 and so I moved out became my own hero in Blüdhaven while still acting as leader of the Titans."

"I assume the _Titans_ are your team of young heroes?" John asked and Dick nodded in reply.

"What do you call yourself?" Shayera asked from the corner of the room.

"Nightwing." Clark's head snapped in Dick's direction and the latter smirked. "Yeah that one Clark. It was from a story you once told me."

"Who is Jason?" Bruce asked, his question making the hairs on the back of Richard's neck stand on edge. Everyone went silent. Looking at Dick and waiting for either another angry outburst. Dick merely turned towards Bruce and with the utmost composure, proceeded to explain who Jason was.

"Jason Todd, 14. After you fired me from being Robin and I went to Blüdhaven as Nightwing, you caught a young boy trying to steal the tires of the batmobile."

"He really tried that?" Barry laughed as he and John snickered.

"He nearly succeeded too. Got to the third one before Bruce swept in and stopped him. I'm not really sure about all the particulars, but long story short, he's Robin now and Bruce and I have been on bad terms since." Bruce didn't know what to say. In all the fights he and Dick had ever had, it was never this bad. They always patched things back up. Apparently, this time it wasn't that easy.

"I may not know what I _will_ do, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry Richard." Bruce stated sincerely. Dick looked Bruce up and down and thanked Bruce for the sentiment. His body then began to glow brighter and brighter until the figure was hidden behind the blinding light. As the next transition was happening, J'onn came up behind Bruce and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I am sorry for what has happened between you two." the Martian said. The other founders looked a little uncomfortable at the awkward atmosphere, but also gave their condolences to the Dark Knight.

"There's no reason to be sorry for what has happened, I'm just wondering where I went wrong." As Bruce sighed, the light faded and revealed something Bruce never wanted to see. Dick clad in the cape and cowl, seemingly more muscular and gruff looking. His hand was outstretched as if he was waiting to latch onto someone's hand. When the light completely faded and the room's occupants could hear the rising scream of Dick's voice.

"ROBIN!" he looked from side to side frantically. "Robin? Robin?!" He stopped his searching when his eyes landed on Bruce. He charged towards him and grabbed him by the collar of his kevlar suit. The sheer anger was clear on his face despite the cowl's obstruction. "This is not the time for games, Crane! Where is Robin?! If this is another one of your damn fear gas induced hallucinations, it's a goddamn joke." The founders were dumbfounded and confused at the same time. It was clear that Dick was Batman now and that someone else was Robin, but where was Bruce? What year was this Richard from?

"Calm down, Dick. I'm not Scarecrow. This is the backlash of a spell that was cast on your younger self. You're in the year 2001." Dick stared at him for a minute, deciding whether to believe him or not. He let go of Bruce's collar and pulled off his cowl to reveal a chiseled face and dark eyes that no longer held the once cerulean blue.

"That makes sense. There's no way you'd be here otherwise." His eyes softened and he looked saddened.

"What do you mean by that?" John asked Dick, stepping forward to get a good look at the kid- no, man. Dick sighed and ran a hand through his hair, a subconscious tick he developed as a kid that Bruce recognized as being when he was uncomfortable.

"I'm from the year 2018 Bruce. I'm 25 and as you can see," He gestured to his uniform, "I am the current Batman and my Robin is a boy named Damian."

"Did he carry on the _Robin_ mantle after Jason?" Shayera asked. They all saw Dick flinch at the mention of his name. Ever so calmly, Dick began to tell them about the enigmatic Jason.

"No, Jason was killed." He paused at the gasps from around the room. "He was lured into a trap by the Joker and was repeatedly beaten with a crowbar before being locked inside a warehouse with a bomb. You tried to save him Bruce, but you got there too late. You told me that his death was your greatest mistake. I just wish I could've been a better brother to him. After that, you- Baman, became darker, deadlier. Then came Tim Drake." Dick chuckled. "Timmy, he, literally followed you around until you made him Robin. He said ' _Batman needs a Robin'_ and so he took up the cape after Jason."

"Poor Jason." Barry said solemnly.

"Jason actually is alive." Everyone's heads whipped towards Dick incredulously. "He somehow came back to life and literally dug himself out of his grave….but, he couldn't remember anything and then Talia AL Ghul found him and dipped him in the Pit to restore his damaged mind. I the end it drove him mad and he now patrols as the anti-hero Red Hood"

"So who is this _Damian_ boy you speak of?" J'onn queried. Dick smiled sheepishly.

"That one's a bit harder to explain so let me start here. Damian's full name is Damian Wayne-Al Ghul." Bruce stared at him like he had three heads. "You see Talia Al Ghul had drugged you one night and well nine months later, Dami was born. But you didn't know he even existed until about a year ago. He came to live with us and since he was taught by his mother and the League of Shadows, it took a while for him to learn that killing isn't the answer to everything. You went on a mission with the league Bruce, and...you didn't come back. The league said you died. Gotham needed a Batman, so I stepped up. But I couldn't ask Tim to follow me. I couldn't command him, he wasn't _my_ Robin. He was my brother. Damian needed the help and guidance anyways so I gave the mantle to him."

Bruce was silent as he took in all the information. "So I have four sons? How has Alfred put up with it all?" Bruce joked. Dick smiled cheerfully.

"Actually, you have five kids." Dick added. Bruce gave him a puzzled look. "Cassandra Cain. raised by her father to be an assassin but ultimately broke away. She was never to to read, write or speak so when you took her in, we all pitched in to help her learn."

"So I have a daughter as well?" Bruce smiled to himself at the thought of the mansion filled with so many people. Dick dragged him out of his thoughts.

"Do we know when I go back? As I stated before, me and Rob- Damian, were fighting Scarecrow when this happened. I trust him to hold his own, but I'd like to be back as soon as I can." Zatanna shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I don't know when you will be taken back." She said apologetically. Dick waved his hand in as a way of saying it was okay. Bruce stepped forward and put his hands on Dick's shoulders.

"I'm sorry for anything that happened between us in the past, Dick." Dick took one of Bruce's hands and held it in his.

"It's fine. Most of it was my fault anyways. We made amends." He smiled and his body started to glow. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." And with that, he was gone, and in his place was a slightly older Richard with a clipped hair cut and not wearing the Nightwing uniform nor the cowl. However, it wasn't civilian wear either. He locked eyes with Bruce, and cocked his head to the side in a questioning gesture.

"Alright , Bruce. Wanna tell me why I'm here? I thought I was supposed to be dead." he said and everyone visibly stiffened.

"Dick, you're in the past. It's 2001." Dick held a blank expression before frowning slightly. "You were hit with a spell that has sent your future selves here."

"So you saw me as Batman?" Bruce nodded.

"What did you mean that you're supposed to be dead?" Clark asked, concern showing on his face.

"Well, Tim figured out that you really were alive and just lost in time and eventually got you back. I went back to being Nightwing soon after and you resumed being Batman with Damian as your Robin. A little while after, Talia came back into the picture with an adult clone of Damian she called the Heretic. Sadly Damian was killed by the clone." He paused so everyone could breathe, seeing as how they had temporarily stopped. Bruce's eyes hardened. He had now lost two sons and possibly three with what Dick was saying about himself. "Some things happened and my identity as Nightwing was exposed," Bruce held in a breath. It was never good when a hero's identity was uncovered. Bad things tended to happen. "Luthor was somehow roped along into the plan but wasn't directly involved with my unmasking. I was captured and hooked up to a machine where my heart beat acted as a timer for a bomb. If it didn't stop, the whole facility would blow so Luthor used a serum that would stop my heart temporarily, but he only told you that Bruce. To the rest of the league, to our friends and family, to the whole world Richard Grayson; Nightwing, was dead. You arranged for a closed casket funeral for me and under your orders I infiltrated a spy organization called Spyral. There, there are numerous people who have been in other lines of work, such as Helena Bertinelli."

The founders let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd held in and looked at Dick. John floated up and put a hand on Dick's shoulder. "At least you're still alive." He said with hidden context. Dick looked puzzled then realized he hadn't told them yet.

"Damian is actually still alive. I just found out myself not too long ago. Bruce went to Apokolips with Jason, Tim, and Babs to get Damian's body back which had been stolen and you brought him back." he finished with a smile. Bruce reached out and pulled him into a hug. Dick was startled at first but then returned the embrace. White light started to fill the room and Dick's figure was slowly being overcome by the blinding light.

"So what do we call you?" Barry asked.

"Agent 37." Dick replied. "But I like Richard better. Haven't been called that in a while." He smiled and then was gone, leaving the slumped form of an 8 year old in his wake.

"Well, I guess the spell is finished." Zatanna said reassuringly. Little Richard woke up and rubbed his maskless eyes. He looked up and around the room trying to figure out how he got from the rafters to the floor. He spotted Bruce and made a grabby motion with his arms. Bruce complied and picked him up, holding his son's head to his chest. Dick's eyes started to droop and he snuggled close to his father.

"I love you daddy." he said with a yawn.

"I love you too son."

* * *

 **Oh my goodness! All the feels I had while writing this. I'm not gonna lie, I almost cried. I did play around with the ages a bit so please don't kill me for that. Anyways, please let me know what you think!**

 **-Kitsune**


End file.
